I am enraged. Let me tell you the reasons why, and you are welcome to share.
I tried to set up an account with the IRS through ME.ID. Settle in, this rant is long.
First, it wouldn’t accept my phone number. I got ID.ME-splained that the phone number I’ve had since 2004, the ONLY number I’ve ever had that wasn’t my parents’ home number, is not a valid phone number. I finally gave it my parents’ home number, and I called my parents to tell them I would need the code it would call them with. Note that their phone does NOT accept texts.
Then it wanted to send a link so I could take photos with the smart phone I DON’T OWN, a LUXURY, because there’s no reception in 75% of the places I go. The photos I took with the camera of my Driver’s License were not clear enough. Webcam captures were not good enough.
I had to hunt down and borrow a smart phone.
Next, it wanted to take film of my face, but it wants no lights behind me, whatever. Except the angle is wrong. I finally prop my laptop up on a tissue box to get my face close enough and at an acceptable angle. It does it’s flashy lights. Great.
You think we’re done? We’re not done. My internet connection was too slow, so it wouldn’t accept it. You know, the best internet I can buy in the TINY VILLAGE in RURAL WISCONSIN where I live. There are no better options here, and I have tried repeatedly to find one.
So it wanted to try again. But it didn’t ask my webcam for permission, so every time it loaded, it was empty and did nothing. I don’t know how to fix this if it doesn’t prompt me! I’m was afraid to reload the site and really mess things up.
I forced it to try six or seven times until it choked and gave me another option.
It wanted ALL the documentation. Great. I keep it all together in the fire safe. None of it is expired, all of it is in my married name. It asked for scans, but photos will have to do. It wanted a passport; I have a passport card. It will have to do. It took roughly until the earth fell into the sun to upload, but I was golden, right?
No, then I had to have a Live Video Interview.
The estimated wait time was just a skosh short of FIVE HOURS to talk to a person. My internet won’t even stay connected for five hours! I finally admit defeat and tell it to save and send me a link. If I call during the mid morning the Internet will be better. I hope.
I only set this up because I wanted to be sure it was available just in case. I don’t actively need this login right now, but I suspected it would be awful to get.
This system PUNISHES me for not having a LUXURY item – a smart phone – when my income and where I live makes that impractical.
This system PUNISHES ME for having inadequate internet when I have no way to improve the situation, and the tons of government funding and mouth flapping on the topic haven’t brought broad band anything to my village.
I’m lucky that I have a laptop, so I didn’t need to drive to the nearest city to use the library during their LIMITED HOURS because this is RURAL WISCONSIN.
I am so furious I can’t even come up with a scathing enough end to this rant.
No IRS agents, smart phones, computers, or cameras were harmed in the making of this rant. My empty soda can may have been air borne at one point, however, and my dog is probably experiencing ringing in his ears from all the swearing.
Stay safe, ya’ll.
